Transgender inmates in New York City can get wigs, hair extensions, chest binders, undergarments, prosthetics and the like, under a far-right woke Brooklyn Democrat. New bill – The consequences of which may have to be borne by the taxpayers.
But it is not only the prisoners who will be able to express their true situation.
Guards at Rikers Island and other city jails would also have access to such “gender-affirming items and medical devices” under Councilwoman Crystal Hudson’s legislation, which she plans to introduce at Thursday’s City Council meeting.
“Our goal as legislators must be to affirm the civil liberties of New Yorkers,” Hudson told the Post. “Providing greater access to gender-affirming care for transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and/or intersex (TGNCNBI) people in our city’s jails is part of achieving this mission.”
It’s unclear whether taxpayers, inmates or outside sources will ultimately pay for the “packers,” standing-urinating prosthetics and other gender-affirming devices, since the law leaves that decision in the hands of the city’s Department of Corrections.
Meanwhile, the Post learned this week that the D.O.C. quietly began providing chest binders to trans detainees last year.
The agency said it received the binders — which cost $14.99 or more on Amazon.com — as donations, but declined to say who donated them.
The DOC also said in a statement that it is “committed to confirming the identities of individuals in our care” and is reviewing the law.
However, critics slammed the law, saying it would create serious security problems because fake penises, binders and other items could be used by detainees as weapons or to conceal them.
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“While COBA fully supports the freedom for individuals to affirm their gender identity, we cannot support any legislation that compromises the safety of our officers and those in our custody,” Benny Bosio, president of the Correctional Officers Benevolent Association, told the Post.
“Allowing inmates access to prosthetics would also enable them to conceal drugs and weapons, such as makeshift razor blades, which could easily be used to attack other inmates and our officers.”
Councilwoman Joan Arriola (R-Queens) called the bill “ridiculous” and “unfair.”
“The far left has already recently campaigned to eliminate punitive segregation (in the city's jails), so this is just another way for them to create new havoc and make our jails even more hazardous to safety,” he said.
“This would put correctional officers, other staff and inmates at risk because these items could be used as weapons or to conceal them, so I hope this bill never sees the light of day.”
Records show that of the 6,135 detainees recently held at Rikers Island and other city lockups, 42 identified as trans, intersex or non-binary.
The D.O.C. said it doesn’t track trans employees.
Under the bill, the D.O.C. would have the authority to deny an inmate’s request for gender-affirming items, but would have to provide its reasons in writing for review by the Board of Correction and the New York City Human Rights Commission.
Hudson’s law isn’t unprecedented in New York and some other parts of the country, but many prison systems that currently provide gender-affirming items have done so only after being sued.
Upstate Broome County reached out last year Landmark settlement with a former transgender woman prisoner That resulted in sweeping changes to the way trans, intersex and non-binary people are treated at the 536-bed prison.
This included paying for inmates to purchase gender-affirming items, which is a medically prescribed treatment for gender dysphoria, a severe discomfort experienced when a person feels their biological sex does not match their gender identity.
Same thing happened in 2020 also. A settlement has been reached for transgender people detained in northern Steuben County.
“Providing gender-affirming care is tied to basic human dignity,” stressed Ellie Boehm, senior policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which assisted plaintiffs in the Broome and Steuben cases.
“Yet, too often our city’s jails fail to comply with their legal and constitutional obligations to provide basic care for the people in their custody, which can lead to serious medical problems for incarcerated trans people.
“As prisons across the state and country recognize the importance of access to gender-affirming care, it’s critical to ensure that incarcerated New Yorkers receive the care they deserve.”
However, Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) said he believed Hudson’s bill would compromise safety and lead to “reckless spending” at taxpayers’ expense.
“This is just another attempt to inundate hard-working New Yorkers with more insanity,” he said.
